1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical switching apparatus and, more specifically, to a motorized drive assembly for an electrical switching apparatus racking assembly.
2. Background Information
An electrical switching apparatus, in an exemplary embodiment, includes a housing assembly a number of electrical components and at least one bus assembly. The housing assembly is structured to insulate and enclose the other components. The number of electrical components include, but are not limited to, circuit breakers, voltage transformers, control power transformers, fuses, batteries, and other electrical components. The bus assembly includes a conductive bus that is further coupled to, and in electrical communication with, an external line bus or a load bus. Within the housing assembly is a contact assembly which is fixed to the housing assembly. At least one electrical component includes a movable contact assembly. The electrical components are disposed on a movable carriage. The carriage moves between a first and second position. When the carriage is in the first position, the electrical component movable contact assembly is spaced from, and not in electrical communication with, the housing assembly contact assembly. When the carriage is in the second position, the electrical component movable contact assembly is coupled to, and in electrical communication with, the housing assembly contact assembly. These components are withdrawn to isolate them from the voltage source thus creating a safe work environment for the user to perform maintenance or inspections. Movement of the carriage is done manually.
Manual movement of the carriage has several disadvantages. For example, the electrical switching apparatus may be heavy requiring a technician to exert considerable force to move the carriage. Further, a technician must be at the location of the electrical switching apparatus. In addition, the technician may accidentally force the carriage into the second position when components are misaligned. There is, therefore a need for a drive assembly for an electrical switching apparatus that overcomes these disadvantages.